Improved machine foe channelling books



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@naar mes item1 @met ROGER W. LOVE AND ALBERT BALL, OF WINDSOR, VERMONT.

Letters Patent No. 72,649, dated December 2.4, 1867. y

IMPROVED MACHINE FOR GHANNELLING ROCKS. dto.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that we, ROGER W. Lovu and ALnnnfr BALL, otA Windsor, in the county of Windsor, in the State 0f Vermont, 'llave invented a new and useful Improvement inv Machines for Channelling and Quarrying Rock; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked tbereon,`as making a part of this specification, in which-,-

Figure 1 represents an elevation of one of the sides of the machine, the opposite side being substantially similar to' that shown in this figure. I,

Figure 2 represents a top view ofthe machine, in which are shown on one side the parts common to both.

Figure 3 represents the first series ofholes cut by the borers.

Figure 4 represents the first and second series of holes cut by the borers.

Figure 5 represents the first, second, and third seriesfintercommunicating and4 forming a continuous chand nel in the rock. I

The only successful method hitherto employed to cut channels in rock has been by a succession of blows with heavy cutting-instruments, causing the gradual wearing away of the surface operated upon. Diamonds have been applied as eutt-ing-points to drills, but no system of such borers has ever beendeviscd to form, by a series of holes communicating with cach other, a continuous channel, by which marble, granite, and other deposits of valuable rock could be rapidly and economically developed and quarried.

No ordinary mechanisms can long sustain the abrupt strain of heavy weights rapidly thrown, against an unyielding substance, like stone, and while by this method a certain degree of ciiiciency has been attained, by reason of the many impediments inseparable from the method itself, a practical limit is soon reached. In all machines constructed for this purpose, channels of varying depth are first cut by the action of the drills, in combination with feed-movements, into and along the rock. The steadiness essential to allow the free play of the drills in and out of the channel is prevented, both by the motion of the machine feeding itself along, and by the concussioneI from the blows of one or more gangsof cutters in simultaneous action. Great weight and bulk must, therefore, bc added to withstand the reaction of the drills, and the jars produced by the feedfmotiondisadvantages to machines which, like these, must be sometimes conveyed to distant and hardly-accessible quarries, often in process of development hundreds of feet below the surface of the earth. Again, as the channel deepens, newsources of diiiculty arise. Upon the corners ofthe drills, as upon the set in the case ofthe crosscut saw, depends the preservation of the proper width to the channel. With their further descent the corners are subjected to constantly-increasing friction, and rapidly lose their angularity, causing the channel to narrow and the drills to bind. An uneven jerking motion is thus engendered, throwing such undue strain upon the crank at certain points in its revolution as to subject the connecting parts to warp and breakage.

The revolving-drill channelling-machine dispenses with the old method, and thus avoids the difficulties' which attend it. The channel is cut in the quarry-bed by tools having hard cutting-points, to which we give a revolving or rotating movement, combined with a feed-movement, into the rock to be channelled to a certain depth, when said tools, by any of' the well-known modes for reversed movements, are made to return to or towards the point of starting, and to `take on a lateral movement in the direction of the channel to be cut, and to set at a point distant sufficient to elongate the incision already made, by again feeding into the rock and revolving or rotating as before. This process we could accomplish by operating, as described, a. single cutter; but since we do more by numbers than simply to multiply, we construct the machine with two or more spindles, thc number contributing to the efficiency of each in the steadiness of their operation and otherwise.

The advantages of this machine are numerous. We indicate the following:

It has no violent action in cutting the hardest rock, and no tendency, through blows or jars, to break or injure its parts. It is adapted to channelling all kinds of rock and stone. The cutting-points being diamonds, are more durable than the edges cf any other cutters. It cuts at a rest, and can therefore be operated on layers of rock lying at any inclination. It is not liable to fracture valuable rock, as when channelling is done by blows. The machine can be used in all seasons, as there is no liability to fracture, by blows, rock rendered brittle by frost. It requires no levelling or previous preparation ofthe surface of the rock to be cut. The drills do not rcquiresharpening, saving the labor of several men, and constant delays for this purpose. Water in the chan` nel, from rain or other causes, is no impediment to the cutting-tools.

Our invention consists in giving to the drills or borers of a stone-channelling machine, designed to quarry rock, marble, or other stone, a revolving movement on or around their respective axes, combined with a feedmovement in the cutting direction,

Our invention further consists in the mechanisms by which the machine is moved along on its ways in such equal and proportionate distances as shall allow other series of holes to be cnt to form a continuous channel in the rock.

Upon n. substantial cast-iron or other frame, A, is placed the drive-shaft B, having at one extremity the crank U, and at the other the pulley D, with a driving-belt, E, passing over and communicating motion to thc` driving-pulleys z z' z' z', which revolve the drills F F F F, having their cutting-points at 7c k k k. The frame is supported at each extremity by an axle, connecting the langedwheels H H, which run upon the track J J, having uponits inside face the rack-d. Passing through the upper frame C, which is supported by the pillars G G, is the feed-screw S, revolved by the pulley O, and reversely by the pulley N, both connected to the driveshaft by the belts Il. and T, respectively, which pass over the pulleys -Y and V upon the drive-shaft. By means rof the screw andthe travelling-yoke M, which slides upon the pillars, and through which the screw passes, the

drills are fed downward in `the cutting direction, passing through the yoke, and being fitted at their upper 'extremities with the drill-capsn u 1t n. To decrease friction at the points of pressure of the yoke upon the drills, anti-friction rollers, pppp, are placed in grooved collars m m m m, fitted to the drills, and revolving freely with their revolutions. As the yoke descends upon the screw, feeding the drills downward, it meets the gauge-nut v', upon the threaded extremity ofthe stop-rod L, which is connected to the reversing feed-lever Q, at

the point v. The stop-rod L is drawn downward by the descending yoke, and lowers the feed-lever, which unships the clutch I from the pulley O, checking the motion of thc feed-screw. If, now, the clutch P is locked into the pulley N, the reverse motion of the screw causes the ascent of the yoke, and the drills are returned toward their starting-point. When the yoke, in its ascent, reaches theframe C, it meets the guard-stop o, raises the rod-stop, which unships the clutch from the pulley N, and checks the motion of the screw. Either motion may be communicated to the screw at `will, by operating the lever Q at any point of the descent or ascent of the yoke. By the arrangement of the feed-pulleys O and N, a more rapid motion is given to the screw, and thus to the yoke and drills, when the latter are being returned from the cutting direction. Should the drills, in process of boring,mcet at one point of'their descent into the rock greater resistance from harder strata than at another, the belt It will slip upon the pulley O, allowing the cutting-points to bore through the obstruction, temporarily relieved from the positive downward feed, thus protecting them from liability to injury. A second screw may be inserted in each series of drills, to prevent the binding of the yoke by the uneven pressure of the borers. In this case the position of the, screws will be determined by the number of drills, the feed-power being so distributed as to be applied equally to each. y

The drills may be placed i'n `juxtaposition, making the channel continuous with each downward passage of the borers, or, as in the drawing, they may be separated to allow of greater facility in the arrangement of the several mechanical parts. In the latter case a series of holes results, each of which is separated by an intervening land, as seen in iig. 3, represented by the letters e e e, and a forward motion of the machine, and other series ofholes are required to make the channel continuous, as shown in figs. 4 and 5.

To hold the machine in position while drilling, the gear c, working in the rack d on the track JJ, is rigidly attached to the shaft b b, and firmly held by the pin s passing through the dial-plate a, into the stationary arm ofthe standard B', pierced to admit it. To move the machine along the track in either direction, the pin s is lifted from the spaced dial-plate, when the horizontal feed-lever g can be moved ou the dial. This lever carries a pawl or click, h, working in the click-gear j, which latter is rigidly attached to the shaft Z1 b. By operating vthe lever the rack-gear on the shaft moves in the rack, fastened to the inside face of the track, and communicatcs motion to the machine.

The dial is spaced to correspond to the number of holes required to bore out the intervening lands to make the section of channel continuous. The plate is pierced so that the pin s can check the machine at such distances as will allow the drills to cut away these lands. This having been done, the pin is raised and the plate revolved until the hole in the stationary arm corresponds to the first hole in thc dial, when the machine will have passed over the completed channel to al new position beyond, and is prepared to bore another series of holes, again firmly held in position by the pin s. As a substitution for the dial-plate, the frame A, and the 'track upon which the machine moves, may be pierced, and the pin s inserted, having the'same offices to perform as before. By belting the dial-plate to the drive-shaft, the motion of the dial will be rendered automatic. A steam-engine and boiler may be supported upon the frame A, and power be thus readily applied to working the machine. A substitution of gears for the pulleys z' is also feasible and readily made.

What wc claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a rock-channalling machine, constructed substantially as described, w'e claim the wheels 0 and N on v, the shaft S, operating in connection with the wheels or gears which rotate or revolve the drills or cutters, substantially as shown and set forth.

2. In a rock-channelling machine having rotating cutters, we claim the devices for stopping, and also for reversing the fecd-apparatus, either automatically or by hand, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

3. In combination with the yoke and drills, we claim the nntifriction rollers, constructed and applied as set forth.

4. W'c claim the devices for moving and fixing the carriage or machine, when constructed with stops for giving limited and regulated motion to the carriage, substantially as set forth.

ROGER W. LOVE,

ALBERT BALL.

Witnesses:

JOHN T. FREEMAN, J. B. FAnNswonTH. 

